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Mobility and Transport
News article4 November 2016Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport

Road safety: EU research project DRUID receives Widmark Award

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The International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) has honored the EU research project DRUID (Driving Under Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines) with its Widmark Award.

DRUID (2007-2011) has been financed within the 6th EU Framework Programme and was co-ordinated by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). The project aimed to determine the scope of the problem of driving under influence of alcohol, illicit drugs and medicines in Europe and to develop and evaluate targeted countermeasures. Up to now DRUID is the largest European research project on driving under influence in terms of geographic coverage (17 EU Member States and Norway), budget (23.5 Mio. €) and the number of research institutions involved (37). DRUID comprised roadside surveys in 13 European countries. In these road surveys almost 50 000 drivers were stopped at random and asked to provide samples of body fluids (blood, saliva). To determine the risk of driving under influence of psychoactive substances, the data of these roadside surveys was compared to the data of nearly 4 500 drivers seriously injured or killed in accidents.

DRUID showed that the highest risk of getting seriously injured or killed in an accident is associated with high blood alcohol concentration (≥ 1.2 g/L) and with alcohol combined with other psychoactive substances. The project established standards on drugged driving research which are since that broadly internationally applied. Moreover a number of evidence based policy recommendations, particularly with regard to enforcement, and driver rehabilitation were developed.

ICADTS is an influential independent nonprofit body whose goal is to reduce mortality and morbidity brought about by misuse of alcohol and drugs by operators of vehicles in all modes of transport. The Widmark Award was established in 1965 in honor of Professor Erik M.P. Widmark, who did comprehensive research on the pharmacology of alcohol. Widmark Awards honor those who have made an outstanding, sustained and meritorious contribution to the field that has led to international standing and respect.

Details

Publication date
4 November 2016
Author
Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport